Need more county classics from these Alabama boys. The Red Clay Strays heard fans’ cries and gave fans a full cover of a Hank Williams Jr. classic. Over on Facebook on January 21, the group shared a clip of them performing Hank Williams Jr.‘s “Country State Of Mind,” leaving fans with just a taste of the soulful cover. However, in the caption, they told fans they were teering on the idea of dropping the full cover on YouTube: “Might throw the whole thing up on YouTube later, who knows. Here’s a cover we did of an old Hank Jr. song.” The footage of this cover was taken at some point during their 2025 tour. The Mobile, Alabama band often tips their hat toward classic country artists, paying homage to those who paved the way for them. In the past, the band has also covered Travis Tritt’s “Where Corn Don’t Grow,” Ray Charles and Willie Nelson’s “Seven Spanish Angels,” and Hank Williams Jr.’s “Weatherman.” Their rendition of “Country State Of Mind” is another stellar nod to some of country music’s greats. Penned by Williams Jr. and Roger Alan Wade, “Country State Of Mind” was released in 1986 as the lead single for his Montana Cafe record. The single skyrocketed to No. 2 on the Billboard Hot Country Singles chart upon its release, and it’ll forever be a popular karaoke song—although it could be argued that many of Hank Williams Jr.’s songs are popular karaoke songs. Just a few hours after sharing the snippet of “Country State Of Mind” on Facebook, the Red Clay Strays delivered their promise and put the entire cover of the tune on YouTube. With frontman Brandon Coleman, he opens up the tune, leading the melody with his acoustic guitar before the rest of the band kicks in, embracing that old-timey twang as they let their guitars and moan the melody. As Coleman delivers the lyrics, he maintains the integrity of Hank Jr.’s version while adding his soulful twist to the notes. “I’m just laid up here in a country state of mind Catching these fish like they’re going out of style Drinking this homemade wine Hey, if the sun don’t come up tomorrow People, I have had a good time I’m just laid up here in a country state of mind” If they were quick to deliver on putting the entire cover on YouTube, maybe fans could encourage them to release a studio cut of this classic, too. Or, even better, they could get cookin’ on an entire record of classic country covers. That would rip. While we are dreaming of that coming to life one day, turn this stellar cover of “Country State Of Mind” all the way up. Although the Red Clay Strays have been laying down country classics like this and have been recognized as CMA Vocal Group of the Year, the band doesn’t feel that they’re 100% country artists. This is not the first time the group has spoken on this matter; they’ve previously said they don’t consider the music they make to be pure country. While the lines that define genre blur more and more these days, there is undoubtedly country influence in their music, along with elements of soul, blues, and rock and roll. Brandon Coleman explained after their CMA win that he and the band don’t want to do country music a disservice by playing other forms of music and just calling it country: “We’re very thankful for it. We were a lot of different genres when we started playing together. John was more hard rock, Andrew was more funk and blues, Zach was more rock, Sevans was more jazz, and I was more country. I was the hick of the group. So country music has a very special place in my heart, and that’s the reason I always say we don’t really play country music, because when we get ready to make an actual country record, it’ll be country music. Because I think country music deserves to be recognized as a genre, so if you’re just playing rock n’ roll music, but calling it country music, I think that’s doing country a disservice. So that’s why I always say that. But we are all country boys and we’re Southern gentlemen, so we’re very happy to be accepted by the community – and we’ll eventually make some actual country music, too.” Country or not, they are making good music that has fans hooked and is helping redefine the genre. The Red Clay Strays push boundaries, and in turn, it’s created a cult following.The post Red Clay Strays Heard Their Fans & Dropped A Full Cover Of Hank Williams Jr.’s “Country State Of Mind” first appeared on Whiskey Riff.